All For Believing
by nominare
Summary: Next installment after In the Beginning. Jane & Maura are about to take their relationship to the next level when Maura is accused of murder. Can Jane prove her innocence? Can Jane & Maura take the next step? Rizzles  finally!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** The characters Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles were originally created by Tess Gerritsen and shared with TNT who created the TV show. I do not own these characters nor am I profiting from the stories created herein.

This series takes place one year after my story In the Beginning. I didn't originally plan for so much time to have passed in the storyline between the two installments but it seemed like a natural place for me to pick up once I started to write. While most of the material is original there may be references to cases from the TV series from seasons one and two.

As always, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Feel free to review; I want to be a better writer for the both of us! =) As a side note, the name of this story is also the name of a Missy Higgins' song. When I heard it I immediately thought of the complicated relationship Jane and Maura have. Check it out; it's an awesome song.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Jane sauntered into the morgue looking for her best friend and Boston PD Medical Examiner.

"Maura?" Jane poked her head into Maura's office to find it empty. It wasn't like Maura to be late to work. Jane checked her watch and debated whether or not to call. Jane knew that Maura had been on a couple of dates with some massage therapist named Derrick that she met while at the spa with Jane a few weeks ago.

She hated to think that it could have been he who was causing her punctual friend to be late to work. "_Vomit…"_ Jane couldn't help herself from muttering the words aloud. She had no idea what Maura saw in the guy. He was good looking, sure, but couldn't hold an intelligent conversation to save his life… although if he is good with his hands…

Jane shook her head at the thought and unconsciously placed her hand over her stomach where a gnawing feeling arose. The fact was that Derrick wasn't good enough for Maura and that's all that mattered.

"Jane!" Maura walked into the morgue holding a beautifully potted plant in her hands.

"Hey… what's that? Derrick doesn't know that girls are supposed to get roses?" Jane's words were dripping with sarcasm, showing her disdain for the man who was spending too much time with Maura.

"Derrick and I aren't seeing each other anymore, and actually, I purchased this for you. _Crassula ovata_, commonly known as the jade plant. It's the friendship tree…" Maura stopped her description of all things botanical once she registered Jane's perplexed look. "You don't know what today is, do you Jane?"

"Umm… friendship day?" Jane's continued sarcasm overshadowed her happiness that Maura and the massage therapist were no more.

"It's our anniversary. We worked our first case together one year ago today. I can't believe you don't remember." Maura rolled her eyes and unceremoniously dropped the deep green plant with small whitish-pink flowers in Jane's arms and walked into her office before closing the door behind her.

"Crap! Maura, I'm sorry… of course I remember that our first case together was a year ago today… C'mon, Maura. Open up…" Jane was wrestling with the locked door handle to no avail.

"Eh-hem… Detective?" Jordan, one of Maura's assistants had walked up and was eyeing the detective with a smirk on her face. "Trouble on lover's lane?" Jordan laughed at her own joke.

"Very funny." Jane made sure to knock shoulders with the assistant as she left the morgue.

* * *

><p>Jane dropped the plant onto her desk and waved her hands at Frost to prevent the onslaught of questions before her partner could even begin. "Don't ask, Frost, or I swear to god…"<p>

"I was just going to tell you… that… umm…" Frost's phone rang, saving him from his partner's threatening glare.

"Detective Frost… yeah got it… tell me the address again. Be there in twenty." Frost hung up his phone. "That was Korsak. Got a new case down at the harbor."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Maura, what have we got?" Jane was donning a pair of gloves as she approached the medical examiner leaning over the body of a 20-something year old male. Maura continued to pencil notes in her journal as she pretended not to hear Jane.<p>

"Um… Dr. Isles?" Frost lifted an eyebrow towards Jane as he tried to garner the doctor's attention.

"Yes, Detective Frost?"

"Umm… cause of death?" Frost looked thoroughly uncomfortable as Maura continued to only answer him, and to move around Jane as if she weren't standing there with the most dumbfounded look on her face.

"Maura? C'mon… don't do this…" Jane was beyond miffed at Maura's lack of civility. How was she supposed to know that it was customary for friends to exchange gifts on anniversaries? In fact… she was pretty sure that it _wasn't_ customary.

"Forget this… you know what _Dr. Isles_… when you're ready to talk to me, you know where to find me." With that Jane left Frost with Maura and began processing the rest of the evidence.

* * *

><p>Two more days went by without a word being uttered between Maura and Jane. Frost, Korsak, and Jordan were getting tired of the constant errands between the morgue and bullpen so that information could be exchanged between Jane, who was still lead on the case, and Maura, who was furiously processing data before she was to leave for a conference on Saturday. The trio hadn't realized before how much time was saved by Jane and Maura being constantly in each other's presence when working a case.<p>

It was Friday afternoon when Jane finally slammed shut the case file in her hands and uttered a not-too-subtle "_Fuck this!_ Frost, I'm cutting out early, cover for me?"

"Sure, partner. Whatever you need."

With that Jane gathered up her jacket and texted Maura as she headed out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Maura knocked on Jane's door at exactly 8pm that Friday evening, as Jane had requested. She originally thought about declining Jane's invitation, but when Jane had asked her to get dressed up and that she had a surprise for her, she decided it must be Jane's way of reaching out. Despite being angry and hurt, she really did feel terrible about not speaking to Jane over the last few days.

When the door opened, Maura momentarily forgot she was angry at Jane. "Jane… You're wearing a dress!" Jane was wearing a fitted deep gray dress that hugged her athletic frame and accentuated her all too often hidden curves. She looked absolutely radiant despite the worried and nervous look on her face.

"Yeah…" Jane looked down at herself as if she too were still surprised at her self-inflicted attire. "You ready?"

"Where are we going?" Maura looked confused as Jane locked her apartment and stood in front of Maura on the landing.

"It's a surprise… c'mon."

* * *

><p>The ride to Elm Street was a quiet one. By the time Jane finally pulled over at a neighborhood park and got out of the vehicle Maura's curiosity was thoroughly piqued. Jane went to the trunk of her cruiser and pulled out a blanket, picnic basket, and a small satchel that she had stashed before Maura had arrived at Jane's apartment.<p>

"C'mon…" Jane extended her hand to Maura and guided her to a grassy spot near a small man made pond. The evening was beautiful. A full moon cast a soft light, and the slight breeze wafted all the scents of spring around the two women.

"Umm… Jane. I thought since you asked me to get so dressed up… well I don't want to get soil on my dress." Maura gestured to her beautiful Armani little black dress. She was breathtaking in it; a vision under the pale moon light Jane could never have conjured on her own.

"That's what the blanket is for, Maura. Sit. We need to talk."

Maura sat on the blanket as Jane continued to work around her. She pulled out Tupperware containers packed with something that smelled delicious from her satchel as well as a small wrapped package.

"I used to play here with Tommy and Frankie when I was a kid." Jane looked around and momentarily allowed herself to become lost in childhood memories. She shook her head slightly as she brought herself back to the present. "You know I'm not good with emotional processing, Maura; at least, not talking out loud about it anyway." Jane handed Maura a fork and a plastic container and then poured her a glass of wine.

Maura opened the plastic ware. "Is this?"

"Yeah… I called Antonia and asked her to whip up the meal we had together at her restaurant that first week we worked together. Since we didn't share a meal the first day we met I thought this might be an appropriate substitute. Eat, before it gets cold."

Maura stared at Jane for a long time before digging in to her meal. It was exquisite, and she was hungry after the long drive. After sitting in silence for several minutes, Jane started talking again.

"Yeah, so like I was saying… I'm not really good at relationships… remember I did warn you that I would be the guy…"

"Jane… that's so cliché." Maura was laughing.

"Yeah… so I've been told." Jane felt momentarily flustered at the memory of the entire conversation that night… _Who would we like, if we liked girls? You're not my type…_

"Anyway… listen, Maura. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that your feelings were hurt when you thought I didn't remember the first day we worked together. I remember it very well; in fact, I even remember what you were wearing that day… don't look so surprised! I'm a detective, being observant is a part of the job. Anyway… I'm sorry."

Jane extended the simply wrapped package to Maura. Maura set down her empty Tupperware and eagerly took the gift and methodically unwrapped it. Inside the gift wrap was a picture in a silver frame. It was of Maura and Jane with Jane's family at one of the many Sunday dinners that Maura had attended.

"Oh… Jane… it's beautiful." Maura's fingers lightly traced the photo. Maura and Jane were in the middle, arms wrapped around each other's hips with Angela, Frank Sr. and Frankie flanking them. They were laughing at a joke known only to them.

"Listen, Maura. You should know… we're not 'site specific' friends, or even best friends. You're a part of my family now."

Jane could see the tears streaking down Maura's face. The realization of what Jane and Jane's family had become over the last year suddenly struck Maura. Jane was right. They were family. Jane and Maura didn't just work together or get drinks together here and there, they did things _together_. They stayed at each other homes, dealt with family issues together, and relied on each other for almost everything in their day to day lives. Maura wondered if she could count how many times she and Jane shared a bed together in efforts to find comfort and strength that they couldn't muster on their own.

Before Maura could be completely overtaken with sobs Jane grabbed her hand. "C'mon, there's one more thing…"

Jane pulled Maura to her feet and led her over to the swing set.

"What are we doing, Jane?" Maura was eyeing the swing set suspiciously.

"We're going to swing… I'll bet you've only gone to fancy places on anniversaries before, right? Well, not with me. We've gotta have a little fun. C'mon. Sit." Jane patted the seat in front of her. With that Maura slipped out of her heels and took her seat. Jane also now barefoot, approached her from behind and gently placed her palms on Maura's hips.

Jane leaned in and whispered into Maura's ear, "Are you ready, Dr. Isles, for the ride of your life?"

Goosebumps erupted all over Maura's body and it took all of her strength to whisper, "Yes…"

* * *

><p>Maura helped Jane carry the items from the evening back up to her apartment. Both of their faces were achy after laughing and smiling so much. Jane was right; Maura had never had so much fun celebrating an anniversary before. After they placed everything inside, Jane asked Maura to wait for a moment before leaving for the night.<p>

Jane padded off for a moment and returned a few minutes later with two dozen red roses in hand. She handed them to Maura.

"You know…" Jane was looking at the floor, "because girls should get roses."

Maura embraced Jane and whispered thanks into her ear. Despite her usual efforts, Jane allowed herself to drown in the feeling of having Maura so close: the sound of her voice, the feeling of Maura's warm breath on her ear, and the feeling of Maura's soft skin as she slowly pulled her cheek away from Jane's.

When Maura finally pulled back enough to look into Jane's eyes they were still no more than two inches away from each other, their noses nearly touching. "Thank you, Jane. This evening has been wonderful…"

Maura's and Jane's eyes locked. They were holding their breath; Maura's arms around Jane's neck, Jane's arms around Maura's hips…

Maura and Jane's lips parted… they moved closer together…

…and their foreheads collided as the knock at Jane's door painfully derailed the moment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three **

Maura and Jane had jumped back from being startled and knocked in the head. Both reached up and rubbed their foreheads as Jane looked through the peep hole in her apartment door. She could see her mother working her spare key into the lock.

Angela nearly knocked Jane onto the floor when she swung the door open.

"Oh my goodness!" Angela clutched her chest dramatically and screamed as she was startled by Jane and Maura's close proximity to the door. "You two scared me to death!"

"Ma! It's nearly midnight! What are you doing here?" Jane looked as though she was going to strangle her mother.

"Don't get mad at me! I tried calling your cell phone and you didn't pick up so I came over to see if you were alright." Angela quickly made her way into the apartment and settled on the edge of Jane's couch.

"Ma… if I'm not answering my phone it means I'm _busy_." Jane stamped her foot at the last word.

"You were just with Maura… no offense dear…" Angela nodded to Maura, "so I don't understand why…"

"Ma… it's time for you to go… I'm alright, so…" Jane was motioning towards the open door.

"Actually, Jane…" Maura piped up, "…it is rather late. Maybe your mother should stay for the remainder of the evening. I have many preparations to finish before my flight leaves in the morning. I'll be gone the whole week…" Maura was gathering up the roses that had fallen on the floor when Jane and she had almost… almost… _What did we almost do?_ Maura silently asked herself.

"Umm… okay… I'll pick you up at seven to bring you to the airport…" Jane's voice was soft as she searched Maura's face for any clue as to how she was handling what was just interrupted.

"Actually, Jane. I think I'll just call a car service. It's your weekend off and I don't want you to have to get up early. I'll call you once I get settled." With a squeeze of Jane's arm Maura was out the door and down the steps before Jane could argue.

Jane slumped against the door frame and ran her fingers through her hair as she watched Maura leave. When she couldn't see her anymore, she turned to the oblivious woman sitting on her couch.

"_Dammit, ma!"_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Jane was sure that the universe was conspiring against her. Maura's conference was in Las Vegas, and between the time difference and the three homicides during what was supposed to be her weekend off, Jane and Maura had only managed to talk to each other's voice mail.

Jane thought about texting but what would she say?

_Hey, QT… had a gr8 time other nite… wished we would have kissed…_

Jane splashed some water on her face from her bathroom sink and took in her sullen appearance in the mirror. At least the voice mails weren't entirely uncomfortable… It sounded like Maura was enjoying the conference and that her lecture was well received.

It wasn't enough, though. Jane needed to see Maura. She needed to talk to her about what had happened. But it was only Tuesday, and it would be days before Maura returned. Jane still wasn't sure what it meant when Maura left the apartment so quickly and then refused the pre-arranged ride to the airport.

Jane's heart ached. She had worked so hard to keep her feelings for Maura in check. She valued the friendship and didn't want to jeopardize it. Yet during all of the cases over the last year, she found an underlying and growing tension between the two of them. And then there were the sleepovers… the night Maura had all but thrust her breasts in Jane's face at Merch… and of course Maura's constant attention after Jane had been shot.

Jane swore that she would tell Maura how she felt when she woke up from her coma, but she was never able to gather the courage. Days went by; opportunities came and went with Jane opening her mouth and no words coming forth. And then Maura started dating Dr. Slucky, and then Derrick… Jane had all but given up.

But when Jane thought she was going to lose Maura over something like not remembering the first day they had met… of course Jane had remembered! It was that she didn't think Maura would.

So, Jane pulled out all the stops, coming just short of telling Maura that she was in… telling Maura that she _liked_ her, as more than just friends. Then it was as if all the stars aligned… Maura responded. She was certain Maura had initiated that near-kiss. That Maura had leaned in first…

Jane crawled into bed and rolled over to face the empty side Maura would often occupy.

As Jo Friday jumped into the bed and got settled by Jane's knees, she turned to her dog and grumbled, "It's going to be a long night…" before punching her pillow a few times in an effort to become more comfortable and to relieve some stress.

* * *

><p>Maura was making her way back to her hotel room when she decided she needed a glass of wine to relax before settling in for the night. She had missed Jane's call… again. She wanted to call her back, but Jane had said that she was going to bed because she had worked nearly all of the last 48 hours.<p>

Maura made her way to the lounge, ordered a glass of red wine, and started to review her notes from the various symposiums that day.

"Excuse me… is this seat taken?" Maura turned to see a woman wearing a name badge indicating she was attending Maura's conference.

"Oh, no. Please have a seat."

Dr. Candace Monroe took her seat and introduced herself to Maura. "I loved your lecture on rigor mortis yesterday."

"Oh, thank you." Maura perked up at the compliment and catalogued the woman's features as she did with every new individual she met. Dr. Candace Monroe was in her mid-forties, had stunning red hair that swept around her shoulders, slightly messy since it had been released from its tight bun, fair skin with freckles that danced over the bridge of her nose and on her cheek bones, and vibrant green eyes that exuded joy.

The doctors ordered more wine and shared what they had enjoyed most over the last three days and began talking a little about their lives back home.

"Iowa now, but Florida originally," was Dr. Monroe's answer when Maura asked where she was from. "It's not where I thought I would end up, but my wife got a great job offer that we couldn't pass up, so we decided, what the heck?" Candace laughed heartily at some memory that she had gotten lost in for a moment. "The 'Sunshine State' to Iowa's winters was hard at first; nearly broke my tailbone the first time I tried to shovel the snow from our driveway, but it was worth it. When she's happy, I'm happy… And at least gay marriage is legal there. Here, this is her picture." Candace opened the wallet from her purse to reveal a picture from her wedding day.

"She's lovely." Maura replied.

"Thank you. What about you?"

"Oh… Boston is my home now…" Candace already knew most of the facts that Maura shared since a small biography of all the guest lecturers was given to all conference attendees. That was, until Maura started sharing stories of all the crazy cases she had worked with Jane over the last year.

"So, how long have you two been dating?" Candace asked, enjoying listening to Maura's stories.

The question took Maura aback. She sat a little more upright in her seat, took a sip of her wine, and stared ahead lost in thought for a moment. "Oh… Jane and I… we're not dating."

"Oh… I'm sorry. I just assumed… well, you didn't mention any other detectives that you worked with…" Candace was trying to back pedal.

"Please don't misunderstand. I'm not offended. Jane and I… we're… well, I'm not sure what we are."

"Uh-oh… not sure? That must be a hard place to be in." Candace rested a hand on Maura's shoulder.

"Yes it is…" Maura's brain was on near-overload trying to avoid figuring out what to do about Jane. Candace waited in silence for Maura to continue. Maura took the last sip of wine from her glass and ordered another. If she was going to spill her guts to a total stranger, she was going to need liquid courage.

The bartender placed another glass down.

"I just don't know, Candace. I work with Jane, I consider her to be my best friend. I've never had a best friend before, and I don't want to ruin that." Maura took another gulp of wine.

"Hmm… that is tough. But if you're best friends, surely you've weathered tougher things than this…"

Suddenly Dr. Monroe sounded like the forensic _psychologist_ that she was. Her open body posture, the reassuring hand on Maura's shoulder, open ended questions and silence at the appropriate times… Candace knew her interview techniques well and it appeared to Maura that she had the same gut instinct that Jane had.

"Well, it's not the only thing that is troubling me…" Maura's voice dropped several levels to a whisper. "I've never been with a woman before."

"Is that all?" Candace laughed. "So what? This woman is your best friend right?"

"Yes."

"And you're pretty confident that she has feelings for you too?"

"Yes, however…"

"And here you are nearly 2000 miles away from her, in a hotel bar, talking about her to a total stranger, and the thing you're most concerned about is the sex? Listen, Maura. You are an insanely bright woman. Bright enough to know what you want, what you _really_ want, despite all efforts to run from it. If this woman really is your best friend, she'll be flattered by your feelings, and if she doesn't return them, I'm sure she'll still love you as her best friend." Candace nodded affirmatively at her own line of logic.

Maura was startled by the woman's frankness sitting next to her. "Well, that's not all that I'm worried about. In fact, I'm certain that I could quickly become quite adept at making love to a woman. I am more concerned about the social ramifications of being with Jane, and whether or not she could handle them."

Maura leaned back and allowed herself to become lost in thought. It was late, she had had too much wine, and her head was spinning with all things Jane. Maura decided to call it a night before Candace could begin another line of reasoning that would inevitably mean accepting the conclusion that she knew her heart had already accepted. The two doctors exchanged contact information and went their separate ways after agreeing to have lunch together the next day.

Maura went through her normal nighttime routine even though she was exhausted because she knew she would feel better for it once in bed. She crawled into bed 45 minutes later and turned to face the empty side. She placed her outstretched hand on the cool, vacant surface, knowing sleep would not come easily to her tonight.

"It's going to be a long night."

* * *

><p><strong>Note: <strong>A huge thank you to Googlemouth for helping me figure out some publishing properties! If you haven't read any of her stories yet, you're missing out. Check them out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five **

When Maura woke up the next morning, she regretted immediately being so open with someone she had just met. Especially since Candace had quickly dissected Maura's feelings and showed her that her irrational fears about Jane were just that: irrational. Maura was happy, then, when nearly the whole lunch hour's conversation that she spent with Candace was devoted to the symposium happenings and other light topics, including Candace's funny habit of carrying a ziplock bag full of her preferred sweetener for her tea. "Not all of the restaurants carry the kind I like. The kind that doesn't cause cancer." Candace replied to Maura's arched brow.

Towards the end of the meal, however, Maura noticed Candace shuffling her food around her plate. "Candace? You've hardly touched your meal. Are you not enjoying it?"

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. I've just been feeling a little ill. It's not uncommon for me when I travel. Nothing to worry about; I'm staying hydrated." Candace pulled out her cold beverage thermos that was in all of the participants' gift bags.

As the two women were settling their checks, their waiter approached Candace and whispered into her ear.

"A phone call?" Candace pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "Crap, I left it on silent. Excuse me, Maura. I have to take this. If it's alright with you, I'll meet up with you at the forensic entomology exhibit this afternoon." With that, Candace got up from the table to follow the waiter over to the telephone hanging on the wall.

* * *

><p>When Candace sat down next to Maura at the entomology exhibit, she was twenty minutes late and looked disconcerted. At Maura's questioning glance she whispered, "I'm so sorry I'm late. Something came up at the office that I had to settle." Candace brushed back a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked upset, worse for wear. Maura almost began to make inquiries, but decided that Candace would probably much rather catch what little of the forensic entomology lecture was left.<p>

* * *

><p>"Jane!" Maura was half expecting to get Jane's voicemail again when she called.<p>

"Hey, Maura. How's the conference going?" Jane had stayed up late hoping she would catch Maura's call, and she had started pacing in her living room now that she was speaking with her.

"It's really quite good, Jane. I think you would enjoy much of it." Maura was perched on the edge of her hotel room's bed.

"Umm… I don't know Maura. Sounds like a lot of gross stuff…" Jane chuckled slightly.

"Yes, well, death is messy, isn't it? However, you and I, we get to create order out of chaos," Maura retorted.

_Order out of chaos_, Jane thought to herself. That certainly did sound nice considering the events before Maura left. "Yeah, I guess so…" Jane let the pause linger in the air.

"How's work, Jane? I do hope the medical examiner filling in for me is doing a good job…" Maura couldn't help but worry about the state of her morgue whenever she had to be gone for an extended period of time.

Jane caught Maura up on the string of homicides from the weekend but reported that it had been relatively quiet since then and that thankfully the three cases seemed pretty open and shut. "The M.E. filling in is really neat, Maura. He puts everything back where he gets it from." Jane laughed again at hearing Maura's sigh of relief.

Another long pause. Jane didn't want to broach the topic over the phone, but the questions lingering in the air were killing her. Unable to wait any longer she took a deep breath and began, "Maura, I wanted to ask you…"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jane. There's someone at the door. Do you mind holding for just a moment?"

Jane let out the deep breath she was holding and rolled her eyes as if Maura were standing right in front of her. "No… of course not…" Jane grumbled as she flopped down on her couch.

"Candace?" Maura was surprised by the doctor's unannounced visit. Jane checked her watch. It was nearly eleven o'clock Maura's time. _Who the hell is Candace?_

"I'm so sorry to just drop by on you like this. I just wanted to let you know that I'll be leaving the conference early, so I'll have to cancel our lunch tomorrow. A case came up back home that I really need to attend to."

"I understand." Maura looked Candace over. "Candace, are you okay?" Candace was leaning against Maura's door frame and resting her hand over her stomach. Jane could hear the concern in Maura's voice through the phone.

"Yes. Thank you. I'm sorry. It appears that I've picked up a stomach flu while here and I'm not particularly looking forward to the flight home while I'm feeling so terrible. I'll be fine, though, really. It's just some achiness and… and, well, I'll spare you the other details. I just wanted to say good-bye and let you know that I'm planning on being in Boston in a few months for speaking engagement at BCU. If you're free, I'd love to have dinner one evening…"

_Really, who the HELL is Candace?_ Jane was standing again in her apartment. Furious at this unknown woman for interrupting her, furious at Maura for making plans for a date with a woman when she was pretty sure until a few days ago that Maura had never even thought about being with one… Jane was ready to start banging her head against the wall.

"I'd really like that. Please allow me to walk you back to your room… Jane? I'm sorry; just give me a few more minutes."

Maura placed the phone down on the desk in her room, walked with Candace back to her room two floors up, helped her get settled in, and returned about 20 minutes later.

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry, Jane. I didn't mean to leave you holding for that long. Are you still there?" Maura resettled on the bed.<p>

"Oh yes, but please don't let me interrupt anything. If you need to go…" Jane had quickly reverted back to sarcasm as her normal defense mechanism. She couldn't believe that Maura had left her waiting on the phone for that long.

"I don't need to go anywhere, Jane. What were you saying?"

"Who's Candace?" Jane blurted it out before she could stop herself.

Maura, never one to be dishonest, answered Jane. "Dr. Candace Monroe. She's a forensic psychologist who is also attending the conference. We met last night in the hotel lounge and had lunch together today. We were supposed to have lunch together tomorrow but she…"

"Yeah, I heard everything. She's leaving. But you two will see each other soon for dinner." Jane wasn't yelling. Yelling would have been an improvement from the cold, unfeeling tone that she was using with Maura.

"Well, yes, Jane, but I think you misunderstand…"

"No, I understand. It's late Maura. I should get to bed. I'll see you when you get back to town."

"But, Jane…." Maura's mouth was agape as she heard the _click_ of the phone call being disconnected.

Jane threw her phone across the living room where it smashed into pieces. _Fuck!_ Jane ran her hands through her long, dark mane and then punched her boxing dummy several times. "The universe is definitely conspiring against me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Because she was so distracted, Maura decided to leave the conference early. She was frustrated over the change in plans and her lack of self-discipline to put her feelings about what had happened last night with Jane aside. She reassured herself while packing that she had attended the lectures and exhibits that interested her the most. Traveling today would give her a three day weekend to figure out what she was going to do about Jane. So it was better in the end to leave now, rather than travel on Sunday and then have to drop right back into her work routine on Monday.

As Maura checked out of the hotel at noon, she noticed the police cars and ambulance outside. Someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Dr. Maura Isles?" A burly man in a rumpled suit who was in his mid-fifties had approached Maura.

"Yes?"

"I'm Detective Day with Las Vegas PD." The detective flashed his badge to Maura. "Unfortunately, one of the conference attendees has died, and I need to ask you a few questions. Will you come with me to the station? It's just around the corner."

"Well, actually, I was about to check out, and I have a flight leaving in just over an hour."

Maura looked past the detective to the coroner pushing a black body bag on a stretcher. Maura swallowed hard. She thought that this must be what Jane must feel when she talked about her gut telling her that something was wrong. Something wasn't right, and something told Maura that the identity of the person in the body bag meant something terrible for her.

"It'll be just a few minutes, Dr. Isles. And I'll arrange for you to be driven to the airport afterwards." Detective Day was already walking toward the lobby exit.

* * *

><p>Maura was guided to a small interrogation room and directed to have a seat.<p>

"Dr. Isles. What can you tell me about your whereabouts last night after 10pm?"

"I thought you said that you needed my help. I don't understand why my activities last evening are pertinent." Maura sat upright in the hard, metal chair and stared the Detective straight in the eye.

"We're talking to many conference attendees. Please. It's just a formality. Of course, if you feel the need to call a lawyer or something…" Detective Day laughed a little.

"No, of course not. I was in my hotel room. I ordered a late dinner from room service and spoke to a friend over the phone. Oh! I also saw Dr. Candace Monroe momentarily." As soon as Maura uttered Candace's name, she knew who was in that black bag.

"Oh my! Candace!" Maura stood up.

"Please sit, Dr. Isles. Dr. Monroe died in her hotel room last night. You were the last one to see her alive…" Detective Day nodded to the officer obscured behind the mirror and the small television in the room buzzed to life. A black and white security recording popped up after a moment, showing Maura helping an unsteady Candace back to her hotel room, entering it, and emerging twenty minutes later looking upset and hurriedly – nearly running - returning to her own room. The time stamp in the lower left corner of the tape read 11:27 p.m.

"I… I…" Maura's voice was lost as her mind started to process the implications from Detective Day.

Detective Day started to place photos in front of Maura. "When Dr. Monroe was found dead in her room this morning by the maid service, she had blunt force trauma to her head…" An expressionless Candace was lying on the floor, blood pooled around her head. "Our M.E. calculated her time of death to approximately 11:30 p.m…"

"Oh, Candace… someone needs to call her wife." Maura looked up, concern registering in her face as she remembered the wedding photo from the other evening.

"I can assure you contacting the family is the least of your worries. Several participants from the conference reported that you and Dr. Monroe had drinks together and lunch together as well. Anything else that you were doing that you'd like to tell me about?"

Maura's hands were still hovering above the photographs of her newly deceased friend. She couldn't look at them. She had seen so much death, even her own brother on the autopsy table before her; but this was different. She had an emotional connection to Candace.

Maura looked straight into the detective's eyes. She had nothing to hide, and of course, she would not lie. "Candace and I met at the conference, shared a meal and conversation about work and our families, and attended some of the same lectures. Nothing more." Maura turned over the photos so that the blank side of them was facing up.

"I can't say that I believe you Dr. Isles…" Detective Day leaned back in his chair, he was enjoying this. "We've got you on tape leading a clearly woozy woman to her hotel room and leaving it in a hurry. No one else went near that room until the maid went in this morning. _And _you decided to leave the conference three days ahead of schedule the morning after a murder? No… I don't think those are just coincidences. And as of right now, you're my leading suspect. Dr. Maura Isles, you're under arrest for the murder of…"

Maura's mind went fuzzy for the first time in her life. She didn't remember being led out of the interrogation room in handcuffs or being booked into the jail, and she didn't snap out of it until she had been handed an itchy polyester orange jumpsuit and ordered to change.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Thanks for all of the reviews and story/author alert subscriptions! It means more than you'll ever know!

This chapter contains an original character I created named Antonia. She was originally introduced in my first story In the Beginning. If you haven't read that one, just know that she's Jane's favorite cousin. =) (And then direct that mouse over to my other story! I'm needy.)

**Chapter Seven**

Jane was sitting in a coffee shop Thursday afternoon while she waited for Antonia. The small woman with the big personality came in and quickly found her cousin in a corner booth.

"Uh-oh… what's wrong now?" Antonia asked as she sat down.

"What… how do you always know when something's wrong?" Jane looked at Antonia in disbelief.

"You always fiddle with labels on your drinks when you're deep in thought or something's bugging you… so… what's bugging you? And why didn't you pick up when I called you this morning? I almost forgot where we were supposed to meet up."

"My cell phone had an unfortunate encounter with my living room wall…" Jane laughed sheepishly at her own temper.

"Sure… and how would I have _ever_ figured out there was something wrong?" Antonia rolled her eyes.

Jane caught Antonia up on all that had happened with Maura over the last week through to last night over several cups of coffee. While Jane had never come out officially to anyone, she felt the family knew or at least suspected and that if there was anyone that she could just glide into conversation with about it, it would be with Antonia.

"…I don't like feeling this way, Antonia. I thought I had Maura figured out, but this… this is too much." Jane had hardly looked up through her entire tirade. She was flushed and running her hands over her brows and through her hair. If Antonia didn't know her cousin better she would have interpreted the conversation to imply that Maura was playing some game with Jane. Antonia sat back in the booth and thought for a moment before beginning.

"Jane Rizzoli. You are my favorite cousin… so I know you won't be offended when I tell you that you are a complete mess… full of shit… and a bit of a jerk when you're feeling defensive… don't interrupt… you need to hear this." Antonia put up her hand to silence Jane. She wasn't much older than Jane, and she certainly wasn't physically intimidating, but something about the look in her eye told Jane she had better keep her mouth shut. Jane had her opportunity to speak, and now it was time to listen.

"Dr. Maura Isles is quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to you. I don't care if you stay just friends or get married one day… don't look so shocked. You know your mother is going to make sure you're married before she dies.

"Anyway, Maura is the best thing that has ever happened to you. You're so happy now that she's in your life. She's good for you… makes you try things you never would have before. How many times have I tried to get you to do yoga with me? Case in point right there… not to mention being on team P.U.K.E.

"Like I said, I don't care what your relationship is, but I'm telling you right now you had better find a way to fix this. You need to grow a set and tell her how you feel. I see how you two look at each other. It's like no one else in the world exists. You went to more trouble the other night over her than you have for anyone your whole life. Don't ignore that gut of yours. It has never steered you wrong before. You've got to get out of your own head and quit living through fear."

Jane stared at her cousin who had started to point at her with her index finger halfway through her lecture. She was wishing for the old times of being told everything would be okay and not to worry too much about anything.

"And besides," Antonia continued, "Maura's raved about my food to everyone she meets and has told all of her business associates about me. Business is up at least thirty percent since you brought her to my restaurant last year. I can't afford for her to be mad at you."

Jane laughed. It was all that she could do given her circumstances. She knew that jealousy was a problem for her… as well as sarcasm… and her temper.

"Oh… well if I can do anything for _you_, especially after you just yelled at me..." Jane laughed a little again and mocked a bow to her cousin. She looked at her watch, "I've gotta go… I still have some things to finish up this afternoon before going home."

Jane wasn't dismissing her cousin; she had heard her loud and clear but now she needed some time to process it all. Jane hugged Antonia, settled the check, and almost knocked Frankie over as he came rushing into the diner.

"Frankie… jeeze… what are you doing here?" Jane asked brushing off the coffee that spilled onto her shirt.

"Why haven't you picked up your phone? We've got a problem. It's Maura."

* * *

><p>Frankie brought Jane up to speed with what little he knew as they drove back to Jane's apartment. He had to yell to be heard over her barrage of questions.<p>

"I don't know what's going on, Janie. After not being able to get a hold of you, Maura convinced one of the officers to call the station. Frost took the call and called me after he couldn't get you. Korsak and he are going to cover for ya… I'll drive you to the airport. It sounds bad though… got her in lockup. Not giving her any leeway for being our M.E. Sounds like they're being real assholes because of it even. Korsak says he has a buddy out there though; he was trying to get through to him the last I heard."

Frankie had the lights on all the way to the airport and barely missed some pedestrians as he pulled up to the curb. Jane had become eerily silent since leaving her apartment. She was gnawing on her thumb and rocking back and forth a bit. She was worried; there was no skirting around it, and for the second time today she sat in silence while questions rattled around in her head.

"Take my cell. Here's your ticket. Your flight leaves in twenty but I called Washington who's working the airport today; he's going to get you through in time."

"Thanks, little brother." Jane got out of the car and then leaned back in through the open passenger window. "Remind me to ask you later when you became such a grown up…"

Frankie smiled at his sister. "Just bring her back home, Janie. Eh?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

There was a uniformed officer waiting for Jane when she landed in Las Vegas.

"Detective Rizzoli?"

"Yeah, that's me."

Jane walked with Officer Perez quickly through the airport and to his waiting cruiser outside.

"Korsak spoke pretty highly of you. Gotta tell you though, that badge doesn't carry any weight out here. Last thing you want to do is get in a pissing match with Detective Day. I've worked with him a long time. He's an ass and he'll pull seniority or jurisdiction without batting an eye. As of right now you'd do better to come in and keep your head low."

"Have you seen Dr. Isles?" Jane couldn't care less about Detective Day at the moment. She wanted to find Maura, get her out of jail, and work on figuring out what happened that got her in this situation in the first place.

"No, sorry. But I'll have you to county lockup in about fifteen minutes so you can see her. Her bail hearing is tomorrow morning from what I hear."

* * *

><p>"Jane!" Maura's eyes showed everything to Jane. They always did. Right now, they were bloodshot, baggy, and a dark forest green. Jane rushed over to Maura who was sitting in the visitation area of the county jail. It was nearly 8pm so there was little time left to talk.<p>

Jane had barely gotten within five feet of Maura before she began shouting. "Jane… it's so terrible. Candace… I swear Jane I didn't kill her! She was woozy when I brought her back to her room, but I swear… I would never!" Maura was nearly hyperventilating as the pleas of innocence spilled from her mouth.

"Hey," Jane grasped Maura by the shoulders tightly and leaned down to meet Maura's tired gaze, "you _never_ have to convince me of something like that, okay? Never."

Jane brought Maura into her arms. She wanted to do more. The entire flight from Boston to Las Vegas was spent thinking about her relationship with Maura. She knew that she had simultaneously shared all of herself with Maura without actually giving herself to her best friend.

How much time had she wasted?

Jane wanted to hug Maura, to kiss her, to tell her that she loved her and that everything would be alright… but all she could manage to do was hold her tightly and pray that her embrace transferred her thoughts to Maura.

"Jane…"

"Yeah, Maura?"

"I really hate 50/50 cotton-polyester blend fabric…" Maura started to sob and Jane could hardly stifle her laugh.

"It's… really… itchy!"

"We'll have you out of it in no time, okay sweetie? I promise. I'm going to talk to some people. You're going to have to stay the night, but I'll see you first thing in the morning at your bail hearing. I promise."

"Okay." Maura had been through so much over the last year: the death of her brother and then meeting her biological father who just so happened to be a mob boss. As much as those events had rocked her to her core, none of them hurt more than the attack on her character by being labeled as murderer.

Maura inhaled deeply and steeled herself against her emotions. She walked calmly and stoically, as she would imagine Jane would do if the situation was reversed, out of the visitation area.

Jane watched her go and then rejoined Officer Perez for a trip to LVPD.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"Well get him here!" Jane was screaming at the desk officer in Detective Day's precinct.

"Ma'am…"

"Did you just call me ma'am?" Jane was getting angrier by the moment.

"_Detective_ Rizzoli. Detective Day has already left for the night. It is 9pm and he's not coming back until tomorrow. I suggest you get a hotel room and come back in the morning after Dr. Isles' bail hearing. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to meet with you then. If you'll give me your card I will leave him a message to call you in the morning." The young officer was standing tall but his voice was shaky in trying to stand firm against Jane's demanding presence.

"Fine! Here!" Jane threw her card at the officer after mentally debating with herself as to whether or not she should just camp out in the precinct. After one last glare she turned and stormed back out the door to a waiting Officer Perez.

* * *

><p>"You're dropping me off here?" Jane looked out the passenger window at the extravagant hotel Officer Perez had driven her to.<p>

"It's the address I was given."

"Uh… okay. Hey, thanks again." Jane and the officer shook hands.

Jane let out a small gasp when she entered the hotel lobby. It was the most beautiful building she had ever been in. She immediately told herself that she would stay the night and then look for a cheaper place to stay tomorrow. She was too tired to worry about the credit card bill at this point.

When Jane approached the front desk to check in she was surprised to find that they had been expecting her.

"Yes, Detective, I have your reservation here. No billing information is needed. I understand you're not certain yet to the length of your stay and I assure you that is not a problem. This is your room key. There's a room service menu atop the desk in your room. Please select whatever you'd like with our compliments."

"Uh… thank you." Jane eyed the hotel concierge skeptically. Jane assumed Maura must have phoned the hotel at some point during the day to make sure Jane had what she needed.

"Also, detective, this note and package arrived for you about an hour ago."

* * *

><p>Jane made her way up to her room and dropped her bag on the floor when she opened the door. The suite was immaculate. Enough space for two or three families; king size bed, Jacuzzi tub, wet bar and living room and the view of Las Vegas was breathtaking.<p>

Jane thought about just dropping onto the bed for a full minute but knew she wouldn't be able to fall asleep on an empty stomach so she ordered from the room service menu and was eating the most delicious and pretentious cheeseburger that she had ever consumed in no time. It wasn't until Jane had eaten every part of her dinner and finished her beer that she remembered the note and package.

_Detective Rizzoli – _

_I regret the circumstances for our correspondence. Once I was informed of Maura's situation I set to work procuring some items I think will be useful to the both of you. I regret that I could not make it to Las Vegas myself, but I am confident in your abilities to resolve this matter quickly. _

_Please call my office if this package does not contain everything that you need. _

_Respectfully, _

_Mr. Selsi_

"What the…" Jane ripped open the package. Inside was a fully charged iPhone with all of Jane's contacts plus an office number for Mr. Selsi, Maura's case file with copies of even Detective Day's notes, crime scene photos and the video recording from the hotel that Detective Day used to warrant Maura's arrest.

"Jesus… word travels fast." Jane couldn't believe the connections Patrick Doyle a.k.a. Mr. Selsi – Maura's biological father – had. And she really didn't want to think about what had gone on behind the scenes to get her the items in the package sitting in her lap. _You do what you have to do, to protect family, _Jane thought to herself. "Damn right," she said aloud.

With that Jane delved into Maura's case file sure to be up to speed before Detective Day even stepped foot in the door.

* * *

><p>Jane awoke to a knock on her hotel door at 6:30am. She didn't remember when she had fallen asleep. She sat upright, pulled the sticking piece of case note paper off her cheek and rubbed her now aching neck that resulted from an odd sleeping position.<p>

"Yeah?"

"Good morning, Detective Rizzoli. I have a special delivery for you." The concierge held up a garment bag.

"Um… come in?" Jane was bewildered at the procession in front of her. After the first man entered her room, he was quickly followed by another with a breakfast tray, and a third to quickly and quietly remove her previous night's tray and clutter that was immediately within view.

"These suits were sent with the compliments of Mr. Selsi. Also, here are the keys to your rental car. It's parked in spot J7. It is leased to you for as long as you need it. Is there anything else that I can do for you to make your stay more comfortable?"

"Um… no?" Jane's hands were still slightly in front of her while she grasped the piece of paper she pulled from her cheek as if guarding herself from the unfamiliar scene of propriety that was unfolding in front of her.

"Wonderful. Please do not hesitate to let us know if there is anything that you require." With that the concierge gave Jane a nod and exited the room.

_I have entered the twilight zone _Jane thought to herself as she opened the garment bag with not one or two but _seven_ new suits and accompanying shirts in her size. As much as she hated it, she was grateful again to Maura's father as she only took the time to pack one suit and a couple of tops in addition to her toiletries before rushing off to the airport.

She checked her watch again. She'd have to hurry if she didn't want to be late for Maura's bail hearing.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I'm in medicine, not law so I apologize in advance for any let's say…any creative license I took with judiciary proceedings over the next few chapters. =)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<strong>

Jane settled herself in the front row behind the defendant's desk in the Las Vegas courthouse. Case after case appeared before the judge as Jane became more and more anxious to see Maura; to search her eyes for how she had handled her first and hopefully only night in jail.

When Maura was finally escorted into the courtroom by a uniformed officer she immediately searched the small crowd of attendees for Jane.

With one look, Jane saw it all. Maura hadn't slept at all the night before. Her eyelids were heavy with tears and exhaustion but held a small glimmer of hope now that she was about to appear before the judge and that Jane would be sitting directly behind her. Maura gave Jane a weak smile. Jane returned it with the most reassuring smile she could rally, soft eyes that held Maura's gaze for her entire walk to her seat, and mouthed then to her, "_It's going to be okay."_

"The people of Nevada v. Maura Isles. Charge is murder in the first degree." The tall bailiff recounted the charges.

"How does the defendant plea?" The judge didn't even look up when she spoke.

"Not guilty, your Honor." Maura's attorney stood up and buttoned her blazer.

"So entered. Bail is set at $500,000.00." The judge was reaching for her rubber stamp that had already been slammed down several times this morning.

"The people ask for Dr. Isles to be remanded in custody your honor…" the prosecutor had gotten his chance to speak finally.

"On what grounds?" Both Maura's attorney and Jane had yelled the question in unison.

"Order in the court!" The judge had looked up for the first time at Jane's outburst. She would have slammed her gavel too had it not been hidden under a massive number of files that she would have to get through before the end of her day. "Ms. … I don't know who you are, but you had better take a seat before I have you removed from my courtroom."

Maura had to suppress a smirk for the first time in days. There was _her_ Jane: the one that spoke her mind and stood to protect Maura whenever she deemed appropriate.

Jane sat back down, murmuring obscenities under her breath, and this time perching herself on the edge of the bench for lack of being able to sit still and to be a little bit closer to Maura.

"Your Honor," the prosecutor started again, "Ms. Isles not only has assets into the millions, so does her family. She has a passport, is a seasoned traveler, and has access to a private jet and three family homes in countries that offer no extradition…"

Maura's attorney cut off the prosecutor. "Your Honor! _Doctor_ Isles is a respected member of not only the medical community but the legal one as well. She is the Chief Medical Examiner for the city of Boston and spends nearly all of her free time devoted to charitable endeavors…"

The judge held up her hand to stop the defense attorney from speaking. "That may very well be, counselor. However, this isn't the first public servant to appear in my courtroom for a heinous crime. Bail is denied. Trial will begin three weeks from today." The judge found her gavel and smacked it down.

"Jane?" Maura had turned to Jane, desperation rising in her voice as she looked to her to do something.

"It'll be okay, Maura," Jane grabbed Maura's cuffed hands in her own, "I promise. Don't lose hope, sweetie. It'll be okay. I'll get all of this figured out…"

The bailiff pulled Maura away from Jane and led Maura out of the courtroom through the door in which she had entered.

Jane looked at Maura's attorney with desperation in her eyes. "It _will _be okay, Detective." The fact that Maura's attorney knew who Jane was with no introduction took Jane aback.

The attorney waved off Jane's questioning look. "Maura told me all about you when we met yesterday afternoon. Cindy Scott." Cindy outstretched her hand for a shake. "How about we get some coffee, detective?" Cindy was already through the small swinging door that separated the gallery from the court proceedings area.

* * *

><p>"I've never seen such a crap job and flimsy reason to arrest someone!" Jane was yelling again.<p>

"I know that, Detective." Cindy was trying to settle the hothead in front of her.

"Maura doesn't have an evil bone in her body!"

"I know that too, Detective." Cindy's eyes lingered closed for a moment. She was starting to get a headache over her eyes.

"Listen," the attorney cut Jane off before she could start again, "you don't have to spout Maura's innocence to me. I know she's innocent. I've also seen the lack of evidence against her. Everything is circumstantial right now; the bad thing is that there's a lot of it. Attendees of the conference speaking of how much time Maura and Dr. Monroe spent together, video of Maura guiding a woozy Dr. Monroe to her hotel room, then rushing back to her own room at the estimated time of death, leaving unexpectedly the next day… it's a lot of coincidence for one night."

Jane sat back in the booth. She too was starting to get a headache.

"Listen, you can see Maura again this afternoon. In the mean time, I assume you're going to pay a visit to the arresting detective?"

"Sure as hell am."

"Alright, well there are some other things you need to be aware of before you go to see him. Maura told me that Dr. Monroe had gotten an upsetting phone call while having lunch together. Something at her office. Then when Dr. Monroe visited Maura's hotel room she said a case had come up back in Iowa and that she was leaving the conference early to tend to it. She also said that Dr. Monroe was complaining of a stomach flu…"

"Yeah, I heard her say all of that when I was on the phone with Maura."

"Good, we'll need that to corroborate her story. It seems to me that Dr. Monroe most likely became woozy from not feeling well and then fell and hit her head _after_ Maura left the room. And that's what we're going to tell the jury if it comes to that."

Jane nodded feebly. It was all too he-said, she-said. And those types of cases were always a crap shoot when going to a jury trial. People were only supposed to convict when there was enough evidence to prove beyond a doubt of the defendant's guilt; but personal biases, the uneducated, and those taken in by the circus show or a charismatic prosecutor could easily be swayed.

Cindy reached out a hand and placed it over Jane's. "We'll get Maura through this. You go and do what you do best… investigate, go ask questions, turn everyone on their heads, and I'll do what I do best… show dumb ass detectives when they're being dumb asses."

Normally Jane would take offense to such a comment about law enforcement but considering the most innocent person she had ever met was behind bars for murder she could only agree with Cindy's assessment of the situation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

Jane stepped out of the small restaurant onto the sidewalk and squinted in the sun. She checked her phone; still no call from Detective Day. "Asshole." She rested her hands on her hips. She needed to make a plan.

Jane decided to forgo seeing Detective Day for now and instead conduct her own investigation. She wanted as much ammo as possible before meeting with the idiot who had arrested Maura.

She would make her first stop the hotel where Maura and Candace were staying to talk to as many people as possible before they left and scattered to the wind. Jane looked over the list of witnesses from Detective Day's notes. She had nearly a dozen people to talk to before the end of the day. She gnawed on her thumb. How in the world was she going to find all of them when there were nearly 300 participants at the conference?

Jane had to make a decision on where to start, and quick. She flipped through the notes again. She realized it wasn't who was on the list that she needed to speak to; it was who _wasn't_ on the list. Since Detective Day hadn't taken time to really listen any of Maura's statements on what had happened over the couple of days before Candace's death, he didn't have any notes on the waiter or bartender who saw Maura and Candace interact. Jane jumped in her rental car and headed for the restaurant inside the hotel where the conference was taking place.

* * *

><p>"Hello. Welcome to La Mesa Grill. How many in your party?"<p>

Jane flashed her badge quickly; hoping the hostess wouldn't notice it said Boston instead of Las Vegas. "I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli. I need to speak with the server who waited on Dr. Isles and Dr. Monroe yesterday."

"Let me check the computer records." The hostess pulled up the receipt history from the day before. "That would be Ronnie. He's…" the hostess craned her neck to look through the restaurant, "yes… that's him in the back. I'll get him."

"What's this about?" Ronnie had approached the hostess station.

"Hi Ronnie. I'm Detective Jane Rizzoli. I just need to ask you a couple of questions and then you can get back to work. You waited on Dr. Isles and Dr. Monroe yesterday?"

"Yes." Ronnie stiffened. Jane was sure that it was public knowledge by now that it was Dr. Monroe who had died and that Maura had been arrested.

"What can you tell me about their lunch together?"

"Seemed pleasant enough with each other, talked mostly about the conference. Dr. Monroe didn't eat much, kind of looked sick or something."

"And at some point Dr. Monroe received a phone call?"

"Uh… yeah… yes. Someone called for her…" Ronnie was snapping his fingers and closed his eyes as he tried to remember the name. "It was a Greek sounding name… Augustus something… said he needed to speak to Dr. Monroe immediately."

"Okay. Good. Thank you. Is there anything else that you can tell me about the phone conversation?"

"Just that Dr. Monroe was talking kind of loudly. I couldn't hear anything specific, but she sounded upset at the person on the other end of the line. Slammed the phone down when she was done talking to him."

* * *

><p>Jane went to the hotel's lounge next. It was where Maura and Candace had met. She approached the bartender and hoped again the quick flash of the badge would suffice for a line of questioning. It did. The woman behind the bar was cleaning and inspecting wine glasses when Jane sat down in front of her.<p>

"Yes, I remember them. Both drank the most expensive wine we had that evening." The bartender smiled as she remembered the sizable tip that she had received.

"Did you hear anything that they discussed?"

"Family mostly. Pretty sure they were both gay." A smile crossed the bartender's lips.

Jane suddenly felt a blush coming across her. "Why do you think that?"

"Well Dr. Monroe definitely was. I saw her show Dr. Isles a wedding picture of her and her partner."

"And Dr. Isles?" Jane swallowed hard.

"Mostly a feeling. I pride myself on my finely tuned gaydar. And… I did overhear her say something about a woman back where she was from that she thought there could be more with… but she also said that she didn't think the other woman could handle it. I hear a lot of that kind of talk once people start drinking. Loves lost and those not realized. Same theme, no matter gay or straight; and always the same remorse in the voice. You start to pick up on it after doing this for so long."

_Loves not realized… _Jane suddenly wanted to know every word exchanged but felt guilty to hear this information from a stranger since she didn't know whether Maura would want her to know it.

"Um… thank you. Other than the conversation about family, did anything seem out of sorts?"

"No… really it seemed quite pleasant; completely platonic though. I really think it was just two people who met and enjoyed conversation about work and family… not looking for a hook up or anything. Something else you pick up on quickly after working this job for so long." The bartender winked at Jane in a knowing way.

* * *

><p>Jane dialed Frost from her new phone as she exited the hotel and walked back to her rental car.<p>

"Jane. We were expecting to hear from you earlier. What's going on, partner?" Frost again showed his genuine concern for the doctor and his partner through the soft eagerness in his voice.

"Ugh… not so good, Frost. The case is crap, but I need some help. Something is telling me that there's foul play even though it wasn't Maura. Can you get me phone records for La Mesa Grill in Las Vegas and for Dr. Candace Monroe's cell phone for yesterday around noon time? I'm looking for a call from Dr. Monroe's office or from someone named Augustus, no last name."

"Um… yeah. It will take a little work since we don't have a… well you know."

Jane regretted pulling Frost into this but she didn't want to call Mr. Selsi if she didn't have to and she knew Frost was good enough with computers to get the information she needed without breaking too many rules. "That's okay. I'm confident in your abilities. I'm heading over to see Maura now. Call me when you get something."

Jane trotted back to her rental car, musing all the while about all of the rule breaking she had done that day, knowing it was about to get worse. _You do what you have to do, to protect family._ It was turning into her motto today.

Jane checked her watch again. She was more than pissed that Detective Day had not attempted to return her message. She wanted so desperately to get to the jail but she had one more thing on her list to look over and she was going to need Officer Perez's help.

* * *

><p>"You want me to do what?" Officer Perez couldn't believe what he was hearing.<p>

"I need you to get me a copy of your M.E.'s autopsy report on Dr. Candace Monroe." Jane repeated.

"You're nuts! Why don't you just come to the station and ask for it?" If Jane could see Officer Perez she would have seen him ducking quite comically into a janitor's closet at his precinct.

"Because you and I both know that Detective Day isn't going to hand it over to me willingly."

"Have you even talked to him yet? You know… make friends or something? Interdepartmental camaraderie and all?" Perez was now speaking in a harsh whisper.

"I will once I get the report. Can you get me a copy or not?"

There was a long pause. "I'll meet you outside your hotel in an hour."

* * *

><p>There was a knock at Jane's door an hour and a half later. The concierge handed her an envelope. "This was dropped off for you, I'm sorry but the deliverer did not leave his name but he stated that you were expecting this."<p>

"Thank you." Jane took the envelope and opened it to find a photo copy of the M.E.'s report. _I guess he didn't want to be on camera dropping this off to me_ Jane thought. She gathered up her jacket and rushed out of the room on her way to see Maura. _Finally._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Wow! Really didn't plan on this chapter turning out the way it did but I think I'm pretty happy with it. Keep those reviews coming! I want to be a better writer for the both of us! **  
><strong>

**Chapter Twelve**

After checking her gun and badge with the security officer at the visitor's desk, Jane was led down a long hallway to a private room where Maura was waiting for her.

"Jane…" Maura stood and embraced Jane so tightly that Jane was having difficulty breathing. Jane ran one hand over and through Maura's honey blonde hair and the other rubbed her back soothingly. Jane would have spent the rest of their visit just like this if there wasn't the matter of proving Maura's innocence to get to.

Jane gently pulled away from Maura and then moved the chair that was reserved for her closer to Maura's.

"How ya holding up, sweetie?" Jane kept one hand on Maura at all times. It was her way of letting Maura know that despite their current environment they were still connected.

"OK. The food and living conditions are abhorrent, Jane. The United States' prison system leaves much to be desired."

"Ahh…. That's why I brought you this." Jane held up a small bag with a meal from the hotel packed in it.

"Oh, Jane! Thank you!" Maura nearly tore the bag when she grabbed it from Jane's hands. She quickly forgot all of her etiquette training when she started to eat. "Mmmmm! Oh my… thank… you…" Jane had never seen Maura eat so quickly. She waited the brief five minutes for Maura to finish her meal before she opened the file she brought with her. She placed it on the table in front of Maura.

"What's this?" Maura picked up the file and started to look it over.

"Las Vegas' Medical Examiner's Autopsy Report on Candace Monroe along with her latest history and physical as a reference of differences from just a week before her death."

"What? Jane I can't look at this!" Maura quickly closed the case file and set it back on the table.

"Maura," Jane took both of Maura's hands in her own. "You have to. You have to look at this report and tell me what happened to Candace. It's the only way I can get you out of here." Jane was pleading with Maura.

"Jane, I'm sure the M.E. here is quite adept at his job. Evidence doesn't lie and the scientific process will clear me of these charges." Maura pushed the case file towards Jane as a point of emphasis.

"Maura, the M.E. says that blunt force trauma was the cause of death. He's done nothing to clear your name. I need you to look at this report. I know you didn't hurt Candace but something is telling me that there was foul play involved. I can't explain it; it's just my gut."

Maura searched Jane's face as she tried to balance the right thing to do and her own need for survival and exoneration. She picked up the case file, opened and closed it several times before finally allowing herself to look over all of the test results and autopsy report. She reasoned that it would only be a matter of time before she was able to see all the evidence being used against her.

Maura quickly became absorbed in the information before her. The normal furrow returned to her brow that meant she was disseminating facts and fitting the puzzle pieces together. After flipping through several pages she murmured, "Hmm. That's odd." Maura flipped between two pages comparing test results.

"What?" Jane was all too excited at the prospect that Maura saw something suspicious.

"Well, during her annual physical Candace is nearly perfectly healthy. Yet it appears at the time that Candace died she was hypokalemic… her potassium level was 1.9."

"Hypo… you know what… never mind. Is that good or bad?"

"Well, it's very low."

"Right… is that _good_ or _bad_?"

"It's very bad, Jane. Low potassium levels could lead to malaise, muscle cramps, cardiac arrhythmias…" Maura's voice trailed off as she started to think more about the symptoms she recited.

"Maura? What is it? You know something, don't you?" Jane grabbed Maura by the shoulders and turned her so that she was facing her.

"It's purely speculation, Jane. I don't have enough information in front of me…"

"Maura. We are talking about you getting out of here… real food… a real bed… _real_ _clothes_."

The thought was enough to push Maura forward. "Jane… I need the M.E. to check Candace's blood serum for sodium polystyrene sulfonate."

"Okay," Jane started to write it down. "How the hell do you spell that?"

Maura took the pen from Jane's hands and wrote down what she needed while she continued to explain the reasoning for the test. "Sodium polystyrene sulfonate is a drug commonly known as Kayexalate. It's used when patients are suffering from _hyper_kalemia, or increased serum potassium. It works in the intestines."

"Candace's stomach flu?" Jane asked.

"Maybe; it's purely speculation. Jane, Candace's potassium levels were within normal range at the time of her physical. I see no indication why her serum potassium levels would decline this rapidly. If the drug is in her blood work it is a serious red flag as there would be no reason for her to take this drug. If she had ingested the appropriate quantities the symptoms would mimic the stomach flu. She also could have suffered a fatal heart arrhythmia causing her to pass out and hit her head. Blunt force trauma may have been the terminal cause of death but quite possibly not the catalyst."

"Good. Good! We've got something to go on. But… well, how would Candace accidentally take a drug? Did you see her take vitamins or anything else that would give someone the opportunity to switch her pills?"

Maura shook her head. "No. This particular medicine is typically administered in powder form. It's mixed in with… Jane! Every time I saw Candace she had her water bottle with her. For her levels to drop this low that bottle has the highest statistical probability to be the Kayexalate source."

"OK. I'll talk to Detective Day and make sure we get that bottle tested." Jane looked at her watch again. "Maura, who else was around Candace a lot? It would have to be someone who could easily put the powder in her drink and get close enough without being noticed."

Maura drummed her fingertips on the table as she thought back over the last week. "Well, anyone who attended the same seminars as she. It could have been someone sitting next to her. While we attended many of the same lectures it wasn't always at the same time so I'm not sure that I would be able to select anyone in particular. However, each participant was given a schedule at the beginning of the conference. I'm sure you could get a record of it."

"OK. Good. Maura thank you. I know you hate speculating but I think maybe you'd make a pretty good detective. I better get going if I'm going to talk to Detective Day before he leaves for the afternoon again."

"So soon?" Maura writhe her hands, absentmindedly missing the ring she would wear and turn on her finger when she was nervous.

"I know. I'm sorry, Maura. I promise I'm working as fast as I can." Jane's heart was breaking at the pitiful sight in front of her. Waves of nausea were taking over as she felt as though she were going to throw up. She hated the thought of leaving Maura there and she would have seriously considered trying to break Maura out if she hadn't been forced to check her gun at the front desk.

"I know you are, Jane." Maura brought a hand up to rest on Jane's cheek. "Jane, I know this isn't the time or place, but…the other night. I didn't mean to leave you wondering…" Tears started to pool in Maura's eyes. Jane allowed herself to lean into Maura's touch.

"I know, Maura. I know." Jane's heart sunk as she thought Maura was trying her hardest to let her down easy. Jane knew all the feelings in the world made no difference. Maura simply wasn't interested in that sort of relationship with Jane. Jane cursed herself silently for allowing herself to think otherwise.

"No, Jane. I don't think you do. If your mother… if she hadn't…. why is this so difficult?" Maura pulled her hand away in efforts to shake out her jitters. She took a deep breath and took Jane's hands into her own.

"Jane, what I'm trying to tell you is that if your mother hadn't shown up when she did I very much would like to think that I would have left for the airport from your apartment Saturday morning instead of my empty and suddenly very lonely home."

Jane still wasn't sure what Maura was trying to say. Was she referring to another platonic sleepover after a fun evening together or…

"Maura. I'm sorry. Blame the jet lag for me being a little dense…"

"How's this?" Maura leaned in and placed a small kiss on Jane's lips. She leaned back and searched Jane's face for some reaction to the new level of intimacy. As innocent as it would have appeared to any outsider, Maura felt as though she had taken the greatest risk of all: she gave Jane a small but definite sign of her affection; one that stated so simply of her desire to be more than just friends. And now the ball was in Jane's court.

"I think I'm starting to see…" Jane was smiling hard despite her efforts to now play dumb.

"Jane!" Maura playfully slapped Jane's arm.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't resist!" Jane threw her hands up in mock defense before reclaiming Maura's hands in her own. A resolve settled across Jane's features.

"Maura. You're right; now it all seems rushed and I definitely hadn't pictured us having this conversation here. Maybe this is conceded of me but I don't want you to be walking around this place with an even heavier burden of wondering about me… or my intentions."

Jane closed her eyes for a moment and drew in a deep breath. This wasn't what she had imagined this moment to be; yet, here it was. From friendship to a kiss to so much more in a matter of moments would be a record for anyone, let alone the guarded Detective Jane Rizzoli. Jane recognized that Maura had extended herself and it was time to return the gesture. She reopened her eyes and locked them onto the deep green pools belonging to Maura.

"Maura Isles, I love you. I loved you for so long that I'm not even sure when it first happened. I love you for so many reasons and when I get you back home I'm going to live every day thinking of new ways to tell you."

Maura's eyes released the deluge of tears that she had worked so hard to keep back during Jane's confession. "Jane, thank you. I mean… oh goodness. I love you too."

Jane and Maura hugged again, rocking back and forth, crying a little but eventually both coming to a hearty laugh.

"I didn't think it would take me being imprisoned for this day to come, Jane."

"I'm sorry that it did, Maur."


End file.
